Bad Smell In The Heating System

[KnightRiderR33]

Hey guys i reconected the heating system on my R33 GTST because for some reason the owner b4 me had bypasseed it by linking the to hosses from the firewall together. Since ive reconected it i get this real stail smell of like old coolent kinda like thge smell of a radiator.. Ive fixed problems like this on my previous car by buying a special detergent that you spray with a nozzle down the centre air vent. i tried to do this but i noticed that the centre vent comes on an angle and makes it impossible to get the nozzle down and spray.. i just wanted to know if u guys have had this problem and have found a fix?? Thanks =D

[t_revz]

its definetely not leaking coolant from the heater core and thats why it was bypassed? coolant dripping out the air con drain? i know the spray your talking about but i thought its meant to be put through the inlet and filter?

there is a DIY about getting the heater out without pulling the dash from memory. might be able to have a look in there and see whats causing it or lay some plastic through the car and give it a quick hose out if its bad

[hks33]

what a bitch man just had my heater core f**k up hows that for luck

[KnightRiderR33]

its definetely not leaking coolant from the heater core and thats why it was bypassed? coolant dripping out the air con drain? i know the spray your talking about but i thought its meant to be put through the inlet and filter?

there is a DIY about getting the heater out without pulling the dash from memory. might be able to have a look in there and see whats causing it or lay some plastic through the car and give it a quick hose out if its bad

nah heater core is definently not leaking the smell only comes on as soon as you turn the switch on ive checked around and i have no leake inside or outside the cabin.. as for the spray Inlet & Filter ive never heard of that kind. the one i use works by feeding a long plactic tube down the center vents which lead to the heater core id guess u spray for 10 secs then turn the aircon on for 10mins and u can see allthe green gungy crap come out from the aircon dripper thing underneath. then u get in car and smells fresh lol

[GTR-N1]

Any blockages of residual water/moisture leads to > fungal growth > bad smell.

Drainage hose is one example.

[KnightRiderR33]

Any blockages of residual water/moisture leads to > fungal growth > bad smell.

Drainage hose is one example.

so how do i fix??? would u know ??

[KrazyKong]

nah heater core is definently not leaking the smell only comes on as soon as you turn the switch on ive checked around and i have no leake inside or outside the cabin.. as for the spray Inlet & Filter ive never heard of that kind. the one i use works by feeding a long plactic tube down the center vents which lead to the heater core id guess u spray for 10 secs then turn the aircon on for 10mins and u can see allthe green gungy crap come out from the aircon dripper thing underneath. then u get in car and smells fresh lol

If you're not leaking any coolant into the car, which I'm in the middle of fixing myself with a new heater core, then the smell could be coming through your air system. My heater box stunk of coolant. If it's happening when you turn the key, is your climate control set to blow air? What happens if you turn the climate control completely off, does it still smell?

[KnightRiderR33]

If you're not leaking any coolant into the car, which I'm in the middle of fixing myself with a new heater core, then the smell could be coming through your air system. My heater box stunk of coolant. If it's happening when you turn the key, is your climate control set to blow air? What happens if you turn the climate control completely off, does it still smell?

ok when climate control is of i get a faint smell now and then but when its on boom the smell smaks ya in the face also i need to fix that damn vent motor clicks everytime i start the engine i know there is a DIY on here.... Can the heater box be opened and cleaned??

[KrazyKong]

ok when climate control is of i get a faint smell now and then but when its on boom the smell smaks ya in the face also i need to fix that damn vent motor clicks everytime i start the engine i know there is a DIY on here.... Can the heater box be opened and cleaned??

My heater box had the smell and there was the watery coolant substance on the bottom. All it needs is a good clean, and the smell should vanish in time. But to get the heater box out, you'll need to take your car apart pretty much until it looks like this:

I didn't take my heater box apart. Rather there were large openings where my hand could fit in. And I cleaned off all kinds of marks, scunge and other crap in there. But taking the heater box apart completely doesn't look to hard I don't think.

As far as the source of the smell, it's not just going to be the heater box however. The coolant came from somewhere, so it's still possible you've got a leak. The smell would disappear even if you didn't clean the heater box if there wasn't a leak. So a continual smell means you need to find the source.

[KnightRiderR33]

My heater box had the smell and there was the watery coolant substance on the bottom. All it needs is a good clean, and the smell should vanish in time. But to get the heater box out, you'll need to take your car apart pretty much until it looks like this:

I didn't take my heater box apart. Rather there were large openings where my hand could fit in. And I cleaned off all kinds of marks, scunge and other crap in there. But taking the heater box apart completely doesn't look to hard I don't think.

As far as the source of the smell, it's not just going to be the heater box however. The coolant came from somewhere, so it's still possible you've got a leak. The smell would disappear even if you didn't clean the heater box if there wasn't a leak. So a continual smell means you need to find the source.

could the smell come from in the radiator because it doesnt look like it has had coolent in a while i bout this car recently. if i flush the radiator would that help to clear the smell and no guys i assure u i dont have any leaks from anywaher ive looked at all the hosses there isnt even any signs of a leak

[KrazyKong]

could the smell come from in the radiator because it doesnt look like it has had coolent in a while i bout this car recently. if i flush the radiator would that help to clear the smell and no guys i assure u i dont have any leaks from anywaher ive looked at all the hosses there isnt even any signs of a leak

I don't see how it could come from the radiator. If the radiator and cooling system is sealed, you're not going to be able to smell anything. Flushing might help, but even old rusty colored coolant won't produce a smell if the system is free of leaks. Since you are smelling something, then the smell is originating from some form of coolant. Thus where is this coolant, and why is it there, is what you need to find out.

I wasn't aware I'd lost an entire engine block full of coolant until my heat gauge shot up. The carpets, and underlay are so thick, you wouldn't even know there's a leak. So I'd pull up the passenger side carpet and check under it.

Getting back to the smell, the smells seems to be coming from the heater box. The only thing in that heater box that has anything to do with coolant, is the heater core. Since hot coolant is fed into the core from the engine, despite you not being able to find any leaks, the signs point to there being a leak somewhere. If the smell smells like coolant, then it can only get there via a leaking heater core, or a cracked pipe connected to the heater core.

Edited October 21, 2010 by KrazyKong

[KnightRiderR33]

I don't see how it could come from the radiator. If the radiator and cooling system is sealed, you're not going to be able to smell anything. Flushing might help, but even old rusty colored coolant won't produce a smell if the system is free of leaks. Since you are smelling something, then the smell is originating from some form of coolant. Thus where is this coolant, and why is it there, is what you need to find out.

I wasn't aware I'd lost an entire engine block full of coolant until my heat gauge shot up. The carpets, and underlay are so thick, you wouldn't even know there's a leak. So I'd pull up the passenger side carpet and check under it.

Getting back to the smell, the smells seems to be coming from the heater box. The only thing in that heater box that has anything to do with coolant, is the heater core. Since hot coolant is fed into the core from the engine, despite you not being able to find any leaks, the signs point to there being a leak somewhere. If the smell smells like coolant, then it can only get there via a leaking heater core, or a cracked pipe connected to the heater core.

ok well next week im off work for 1 week ill rip out the interior and see whats going on thanx for the help guys i appreciate it. hope its not the heater core i hear they are hard to find these days ahh well i could always bypass it again like the last owner